Process of manufacturing bottle-closures.



A; BOGDNFFY.

PROCESS OF- MANUFACTURING BOTTLE CLOSURES.

l APPLlcArmN man MAY31,1913. l 1,143,353.- Patented Jun@ 15, 11115. 3 SHEETS-511mm.

i, By jwm @5% Af BUGDANFFY.

PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING BOTTLE CLOSURES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31| I9I3.

Patented June 15, LUL?.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. BUGMNFFY.l PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING BOTTLE CLOSURES.

APPLICATION FILEDVMAYS, 1913.

Pafened June 15, .1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

www r Afro 'l i rc,

ALEXANDER' BOGDANFFY, or NEW YORK, N. Y., AssmNoR To HumanitarioNar.. conn COMPANY, OEBROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or Newy )man PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING BQTTLE-GLOSURES.

Toall w71 om it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER BosnNrrY, a subjectpf the. King of Hungary, and resident of the city of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented ycertain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Manufacturing Bottle-Closures, of which the following is a speciiication.

The present invention relates to a method or' process for the manufacture of bottle closures of the class known as crown cork sealing caps ol' closures". Closures of this type usuallycomprise three parts, that is a metallic cap or crown having a corrugated flange to be locked to the-exterior of the bottle neck, a sealing disk or packing of cork or the like, and an impervious cementing material, 'for instance in the form of a disk, interposed between the metallic cap and the sealing disk.

In the earlier stage of the development of this branch of industry, the crown corksv were manufactured in the following manner: The three parts of the closure were first assembled and then placed into a. baking oven", wherein they were exposed to heat to -fuse the cementing or binding material, one ot' the purposes of which is to unite the sealing disks with the metallic caps. This baking method as it was called by itsv inventor, gave poor results which were clearly recognized at the time, its main defect being that puiers were produced, the term puler designating a crown cork, the scaling disk or packing of whiclris caused to bulge or swell out at its center portion, whereby a proper union between the said sealing disk and the metallic cap is prevented. --Moreoverthese pufers cannot be use as the liquid contents of the bottle or gas therein soon work their way through the 'iaiking, resulting in a cor rosion oi the metallic part ol the closure, which. in turn, causes a contamination 'oil the liquid contents of the bottle. As long as. however, the crown corks were applied to the bottles by manually operated means, the operator was in a position to attach the semipu1l"ers7 and to throw away the real pullers". As soon as, however, auto-y matic capping machines were put in use, the .so-called baking method had to be abandoned entirely, for the reason that the elo sures are in these machines indiscriminately Patented J une 15, i915,

Application filed May 31 1913. Serial No. 771,055.

thrown into a hopper-like structure and subjected to a whirling action in order to present them to the closure applying means in their proper positions. Due to this whirling action, obviously those sealing disks, which were not properly united with their lrespective metallic caps, separated therefrom, thereby rendering the automatic machinery entirely useless. It is true that the pu'ers, which formed a large percentl age of the product, were first separated from the seemingly good. crown cerks, but there was no way of determining which were good crowns inasmuch as, even when the sealing disks assumed the shape of the headsof the caps, the operator could not be sure whether or not a proper union existed between the parts. Invthe' next step of the development of this industry the assembled crown corks, or one or two elements thereof, that is either the metallic caps alone or the metallic caps with the fusible cementing medium therein, were heated', preferably by Vgas flames, or other means in direct contact with the outer faces of the caps,t'o fuse the cementing medium. Either during the heating opera- .tion or after the same pressure was appliedl to the assembled closures, the pressure being maintained while the cementing material set or hardened, or in other Words the closures were left to cool under pressure. Sometimes even artificial cooling means were used. In practice it has been found that these .methods had several serious defects, which will be presently described. The temperature of the gas flames, or of the other heating means in 'direct contact with the metallic caps, was maintained at such point as to cause the cementing medium to 1iquefy, and consequently to boil.

Vapors and gases were thus naturally formed which to a large extent prevented a, firm union between the sealing disks and the metallic caps, no matter to what pressure the closures were subjected during and after the heating. w

0n the other hand, the cementing medium was, due to the liquefaction and boiling. caused to exudc toward the working laces of the disks, if the proper amount of cementing medium was applied, lf a. lesser quann tity was inserted'into the cap, it burned or coked and thereby was rendered entirely useless. Furthermore the high temperature affected the sealing disks so that they lost their toughness, that is to say they became more or less brittle,.- whereby theL sealing properties` of the saine wereimpairedjto a This applied with even' greater force to sealing` disks ofthe composite type, the latter beingrenderedentirely* useless if they contained a fusible binding material. Moreover, whendecorated caps' were manufactured the extentiof the-heat to properly fuse thecementing'medium Vwas always rulnous to the `same,`inasmuch as the pamt used for decorating them ywas affected yand the caps otherwise defaced. As

has been vmentioned above, the closures were,

` after` heating, subjected "tof cooling Aaction f manufacture. j

v1s to' L. 'manu "while the Vbinding material'was hardening.. As1de from the question that the coolingl means complicated the machinery, the -`cooling action considerably increased the timeof The main object of the present invention provide a method or process for' the" acture of bottle' closures which ob viatesthe defects above mentioned and, on

. the other hand, greatly reduces the timeof `2t manufacture thereof.

With these and lother objects in view,

which will more fully appeargas the nature `of the invention"is better understood, the

` sure heated to a degree which softens the cementing medium to anjfextent slicient: to v cause a union between the sealingdisks and the caps, but not high enough to liquefyi tli'esaidmedium or to affect the decorations ,fthe metallic caps or the material ofthe'y sealing disks.y Cooling is entirely,V dispensed sequently no factor `created which would formed during the heating" action,

tend to move the sealing disk",` out of contact with the metallic cap `after thesaid twoparts have been once caused againsteach other.

y'to lproperly.l abut f One of. he manypossible'apparatus fork Carrying out Process of) Illlvllltlon.'l

means for cutting the cementing ydisks is illustrated in the accompanying drawingsinwhichz- Figure lis aplan -view of themachiney.

Fig. 2 is ya front kelevation thereof-Fig. 3-l

is a sectional view'of the means `for feeding?y a strip of prepared' paper fror'n `which the cementing disks are cut;-Fig. 4 1s Va front elevation of the deviceshown in` 3, Fig. 5'is a vertical section' taken `throng thev F 6 from.k the stri ofprepared paper; ig.` `is' a vertical segton taken through' the'sealing disk holding means;Fig..7 is.a vertical sectional dley? 'oftheroller 35 is rjournaled in 'a 18p attached to the t fcaps to a feeding and cons,

,view through thek means for feedingl the sealing disks toy the metallic caps; Fig. 8 is j a side elevation,partly section, through themeans forfercing t e sealing disks into themetallic caps; llig. 9 is a sectional view ofthe [means forconveying the sealing disks to themetallio caps; Fig. 10 is a detail view -offa 'worm for intermittentlyrotating the cap] transporting means of the device; Fig.

l11. is a central section taken through the pressure applying andheating means of the pparatus; Fig. '12 is a `section taken on `line 12-12 of Fig. 11; and Fig. 13 `is a detail fof construction ofthe pressure applying means of the machine;

`Inthe drawin s,the knumeral 20 indicates 'a horizontal. ta le supported by legs or -"standards 21. i Above the plane of the table is arranged a substantially horizontal support 22, onto which" the metalliccaps are broughtin their. inverted positions, to be passed, forinstance, manually toa continu ously rotating carryingdisk 23, which con- Ave'ys the, ca s, one after the other, along .a i channel 2,4 in the direction ofv the arrow in- 1 dicated Fi. 1" of the drawings, said channel` beingk ormed between `saidV carrying disk-y and a cover late 25, the latter being ble in any suitable mandisk 23 transportsthe vice 26, for instance of fthe.. type described in Letters Patent No. 1,055,126,5- the said feeding deviceadvanc- Qing thec'apsto ythe recessesor pockets 27 of faster-wheel 28, `which is attached to a verlThe carryin *nein tical shaft 29, thelatter being 'ournaled in o this shaft the'table and in a bearin l30. 'iintermittent.4 rotary motion is 'imparted 1n ffthevdirection ofthe arrow by means` which will jbe"`here`1`nafter describedr '.The starfwheel 4engages the vflangev portions of ythe 1" caps and conveys them a on thetableto rest directly beneath' the .means ga groove 31 inwhichcutstheim 'ervious cementing disks fromy a stri yof suitably prepared paper, or tether material, andiplaces the said dis s into thecapsg` t `The` cementing medium is prepared as f llowst Paper` or.` other material may be "soakedinjorcarried through a molten mixture-which isfcomposed, for instance, of Ac opa'l gum, resin and a waxy substance, or of copal guml and, some other mutable material 'or materials; The papersotreated isthendriedand cut into strips;

Thestrip 432, from which the disks are c t, is wound upon a reel 32,', sultablygournaled.vr in .the frame lof they machine, and y"from which t e strip is conducted' into a guide 33.tq pass between the-feeding rollers 125 star-wheel.

bearing 38 and carries at its outer end a bevel gear 39, meshing with av similar gear 40, that isl attached to the shaft 29 of the Obviously the feeding rollers 34 and 35 will thus rotate intermittently, and advance the strip 32 to thecutting means 41. The cutting means comprises a tubular knife 42, secured in any suitable manner to an arm 43, which islshiftably arranged in a vertical guideway 44 of a bracketl 45, that is `attached to the table 20. The arm 43 is pivotally engaged by a rod .46, 'which is fastened to the strap of an eccentric 47, the latter being mounted upon the main vdriving shaft 48 of the machine. The driving shaft is journaled in bearings which are secured to or made integral with the standards or legs 21. -As the disk is cut from the strip,l it is fautomatieally forced, u on the upwardvmovement of the knife t2, y a stem 49 through an aperture 50 in the ide 3,3 into the metallic cap.

. The stem 4 .projects through an opening 51 in the arm 43abovethe plane of said arm,

and carries upon its up er end a weight 52. When, therefore, 'the ife 42 moves upward, the' weight 52 will force the stem 49 downward, and thereby the paper disk into l'the cap.' Afterthis, upon the' further upwardmovement of the arm 43, the latter engages the weight 52 and lifts thus the stem 49 out of the aperture 50. The disk having been deposited into the metal-cap, the said cap and the disk are transported by the star-wheel 'step by step to an assembling plunger 53,'attached to an arm 54, which is slidably arranged in a vertical guideway 5,5 of a bracket 56. They arm 54 is pivotally connected with a rod 57 which, is fastened to the strap of an eccentric-58, the latter being keyed ,to the main driving shaft 48. The sealing disks or packing of cork or the'like are placed into a substantially vertical tube 59, which is attached to the table by means of a bracket 60, or otherwise, and is provided with a longitudinal slot-61, through which a finger piece 62 of a weight 63 protrudes, said weight being placed on the seaiing disks and serves to feed the same into a guide-way'. 64 of a plate member 65, which is attached to the table 'by a bracket 66 in a plane above that of the star-wheel 28. The

' plate member 65 is provided with an aperture 67 in alinement with the plunger 53. `This aperture tapers 4toward the plane of the wheel 28, .its upper diameter being larger than lthe diameter of a sealing dislnaiid the diameter at its lower end being Some- 4cable conveyer 68, which is slidably arranged in the guideway 64 and pivotally connected by a link 69 with a lever 70, the latter being fulcrumed at 71 'to the frame of the machine, and ivoted at 72 to the rod 73 of an eccentric 74, which is keyed to the main driving shaft 48. The conveyer 68 is provided with a recess 75, which engages the sealing disks in transferring the same to the aperture, 67. Obviously the angular relation of the eccentrics 58 and 74 must be such that when the plunger 58' is lifted, the conveyer 68 will move inward, and thereby transfer a sealing disk within the reach of said plunger, which, in its downward movement, willforce the sealing disk through the aperture 67 into the metallic cap.

4It should be noted that, since the diameter of v cap.

As it happens sometimes that one or the other of the recesses in the star-wheel does not contain a metallic cap, it becomes necessary to eject the sealing disk from that recess after it has passed the plunger 53. For this purpose thev plunger carries a bracket 76, to which a downwardly extending tubular member 77 is attached. In this tubular member is-slidably arranged a spindle 78, provided upon its upper end with a stop 7 9 and near its lower end with a disk 80. Against this disk and the bracket 76 bears a spring 81, tending to force the spindle 78 downward into the recesses of the starl wheel. The distance between the longitu- Vpressed by the upward movement of the spindle 78. If, however, a sealing diskonly is seated in the recess, the spindle will force the same through an opening82 in the table into a receptacle below` the same, for the reason that the tension of the spring 81 is greater than the resistance offered by the sealing disk in the recess;

i The assembled crowns slide down an inclined passage 88 to a heating and uniting head 84. This head comprises a rotary drum 85, keyed to a shaft 86, which is continuously driven from the main driving shaft of the machine. The drum is provided with a plurality of peripheral recesses 87, which are adapted t'o receive, one after the other, assembled crowns' from th'e passage 88. Plungers 88 are slidably arranged in longitudinal axis of said'lrifmwand provided at their outer forked ends each with a pin 89which engages slots'90 in radial.4

a rms 91, the inner ends of which are pivoted at 92 to the hub .93 of the drum, while their outerfree ends carry rollers 94which are adapted to coact with a cam 95,' attached te the frame of the machine. The arms 91 are engaged by` the pointed ends 96 of sprin pressed pins 97, which areslidably mounte in apertures of a ring 98, the latter being,

preferably,.made integral with the drum. The cam 95 is arranged inthe path of the rollers 94, whereby, as the drum 85 rotates,

fthe' plungers 88 are forced against the action of the. springs 97 upon the pins 97 out of the recesses 87 in the drum before they ar-` rive opposite to the passage 83. When a recess arrives at this point, an assembled crown cork will slide into the same, and after the corresponding roller 94 is disengaged from the cam; the corresponding spring 97 will force the plunger against the assembled' crown cork, placing thereby the parts of the closure under pressure, and holding them in this condition until the f closure makes nearly a coniplete revolution around the shaft 86, when the roller of the'plunger again arrives at the cam 95, whereby the plungery is disengaged from the closure, allowing the same to be guided by a projection 99 into a chute 100. Q

- While the closure iscarried bythe drum and held underpressure, its cementing medium is softened by suitable heating means.

This heating means comprises a suitable fluid, for instance hot liquid yor steam, which is admitted into an annular channel'101,

formed in the drum 85` in rear .of the re` csses 87.' In the channel 101 is provided la ,radially extending partition 102, the heating fluid being admitted into the channel on 'one side of said partition, 'travels around the said channel, and leaves the same on the other side of said partition. The Vfluid flows to the channel 101through a pipe 103comwithin the hub 93, The bore 104 lea ds to a o member, said groove being connected with,y

municat'ing with a bore 104 in a stationary cylindrical member 105, which 'is arranged peripheral groove 106-in the said cylindrical a pipe 107, which leads to the channel 101 on one'side of the partition 102. Thevother.

side of'the partition is connected by a pipe `108With a peripheral groove 109 in the cylindrical member 105, this peripheral groove communicating with a bore 11'0 in said cyl lindical member, the latter bore being connected 'with a pipe 111. A stuffing box 112 Vand a packing material, 113 prevent l lealt-l age of the fluid in the direction of the longi-v tudinal axis of the shaft 86. Th'uid, ad-

Vmitted through the pipe 103 and the' passages communicating 'therewith into the f channel 101, Hows through" the same, and

leaves it throughrthe pipe 108 and the passagescommunicating therewith. The temperature of the fluid is maintained at a point to soften the cementing medium within the assembled closure; it is, however, not high enough so as to .liq'uefy the same or to cause 'a creation of vapors and gases.

A tongue 114 is pivoted at 115 to a stationary part-of the frame, its free end being provided with a pin 116, engaging an arc- `shaped slot 117 in the frame. A spring 118 forces the tongue into contact with.the

drum, so Vthat closures,.which are not properly seated inthe recesses of said drum,.will be forced into the same before a plunger engages them. y

Motion is imparted to the entire mechanism through the intermediary yof, a pulley' 119, which is keyed to the maindriving shaft 48. The sha-ft 120 of the continuously rotating disk 23 is driven by a worm 121 upon the main driving shaft, in mesh with a worm gear 122 upon the shaft 120. The shaft 29 of the star-wheel 28 is driven by a worm 123 upon the main drivingv shaft/18, engaging a worm gear 124 upon the shaft 29. The

worm 123" has a straight portion 125,l and while this isengaging the worm gear 124, the latter is at rest. lVhen theinclined portion 126 of the worm L123V coacts with a tooth of the worm gear, the latter 4will be rotated a given distance, whereby the star wheel transports the caps a corresponding distance.

The shaft 86 of the rotarydrum 85 is also` actuated from the.main driving shaft. For

'this-.purpose a `bevel gear 127 is-mounted action, therterm baking meaning that the' temperature is too low to cans, the'cementing medium to liquefy or boilg-and to produce vapors or gases. y

The difference between the process herein described and the old baking method above mentioned'consists in that the closures are subjected Lto pressure while the` baking takes place, The formation of putters is,' theiefore, effectively prevented.

It hasfurthermore severaladvantages over the old baking method, for instance the :heat is applied more uniformly to the closuresrinasmuch as a perfect control of tem- 'perature and of time vis obtainable, both of 4Which were lacking in theabove mentioned baking method. Since the temperature isc.

is maintained substantially below thatused in all processes heretofore practised, obviously, a close union is formed between the parts of the closure, there being no vapor or gas between the said parts to cause a bulging of the sealing disks after the closures are discharged from the machine. The closures need not be cooled, therefore, underpressure. The time of manufacture is thus reduced and the machine for producing same simplified. Thesealing disks, whether of cork or 'the composite type, retain their original toughness, and the decorations of the caps keep their original colors, in fact bright colors can be employed which heretofore, by reason of the high temperatures,

were never even attempted to be used.

be maintained during the entire time of heating, meaning thereby that the parts lof the closure may be placed under compression after the heating has been commenced, vor

they ma be released from pressure before the heating has been finished. This can be easily accomplished by lengthening the cam 95 in oneor the other direction.

What I claim is f y 1. A process for the manufacture of bottle closures of the crown cork type, which con# sists in, first, interposihg between the sealing disk and the coincident surfaces of the metal cap coperating therewith a suitable cementing medium which becomes adhesive when softened, second, placing the closure under appropriate pressure, and, third, heating the closure to a degree which softens the cementing medium to an extent sufficient to cause a union between the sealing disk and the cap, but not high enough to liquefy the cementing medium or to create vapors and gases.

2. A process for the manufacture of bottle closures of the 'crown cork type, whic consists in, first, interposing between the sealing disk and the coincident surfaces of the sists in, first, interposing between the seal ing disk and the coincident surfaces of the metal cap coperating therewith a suitable cementing medium which becomes adhesive when Asoftened and, second, heating the In some instances the pressure need not' closure under pressure to a degree which softens theecementing medium to an extent sufficient to cause a union between the sealing disk and cap, but not high enough to liquefy the cementing medium or to create vapors or gases.

4. A process for the manufacture of bottle closures of the crown cork type, which consists in, first, interposing between the sealing disk and the coincident surfaces of the metal cap coperating therewith'a suitable cementing medium which becomes adhesive when softened, second, heating the closure 

